System for operating pneumatic bells.



E; 0. WOOD & H. G. MARDE N SYSTEM FOR OPERATING PNEUMATIC BELLS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17,1905. 1

Patented June 20, 1911.

Suvcul'ow GHQ: ncu/ par stares Parana 'ric.

EDWARD C. WOOD, OF SOMERVILLE, AN D HARRY G. MARDEN, OF BRAINTREE,MASSA- CHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS T SUBMARINE SIGNAL COMPANY, OF WATERVILLE,MAINE' A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SYSTEM FOR OPERATING PNEUMATIC BELLS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 20, 1911,-

Application filed July 17, 1905. Serial No.- 269,999.

.10 following is a specification.

We have heretofore, namely,-on the 31st day of May 1905, filed anapplication for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 263,165,for an improvement in appa- '15 ratus for submarine signaling. Thatimprovement in its preferred form comprises a bell attached to a watertight casing which contains mechanism for operating the hammer orstriker which mechanism is operated by compressed air introduced into areservoir within the casing in which the pressure is maintained at say45 pounds. When submerged the pressure on the exhaust side of I theapparatus is preferably maintained at at least one atmosphere dependingupon the depth towhich the apparatus is sunk, the

' air pressurewithin the casing thus being sufiicient to keep out thewater should the apparatus show'any tendency to leak. This may beaccomplished by a back pressure valve which allows the escape of aportion only of the exhaust being set to maintain the pressure in theexhaust chamber of the valve at a predetermined amount. As the operationof the apparatus depends upon the difference in pressure between the compressed air reservoir and the exhaust reservoir if these pressures areequalized the apparatus will stop signaling and at the same time anyleakage in the apparatus will be indicated by the fact that thepressures will not be maintainedwithout constant pumping. v

The present invention relates to apparatus '45 designed primarily foruse in a connection with the compressed air motor for operating thepneumatic bell or signaling device above described, but it will-beobvious that the apparatus will be equally useful in connection withsuch a submerged pneumatic motor irrespective of the work done 'or thedevice actuated by said motor.

The invention will be understood by reference. to the drawings inwhichanembodiment of it is shown diagrammatically. As

-its parts are all of a type procurable in the market and well known tothose skilled in the art (with the exception of the pneumatic bellitself which is described in our said application) we shall give nodetailed description of them.

A, B,'is the casing of our said pneumatic bell, C being the bell itself,and c the tongue. The casing A embodies compressed air and exhaustreservoirs in communication through a bell-operating compressed airmotor. This mechanism will not be further described except by. referenceto our previous application, and to sayfthat generally speaking thelower portion .B of the casing contains a compressed air reservoir I)which is connected through the passage b and a coupling b with a feedhose or pipe I) con- "necting it-with the air pump D as will be belowdescribed. The upper port-ion A of the casing contains the exhaustreservoir a which is connected in like. manner by the coupling 01, withthe exhaust hose or pipe To illustrate the general arrangement of partsa motor of the type described in said appiication is indicateddiagrammaticallyat A is the tube'by which air is taken from the pressurereservoir the valve A allows it and is delivered into the motor fromwhich it is afterward' exhausted into the chamber a through an openingin the bottom of the motor as described in our above named application.

The'system at the station is as follows: The pipe 62 connects with thereservoir of an air pump, D}, and D is a relief valve of any ordinarykind such as is found in the market capable of reducing the pressure ofthe air pump reservoir to a predetermined amount,

say 45 pounds. It is desirable that the resrelief valve D is connectedby the pipe at with a T-coupling d which is connected by pipe dwithasecond T-coupling E, on which is mounted the pressure gage Eadapted to indicate the pressure in the main line. By means ofsuitablepiped and couplingd this direct line from the'air pump isconnected with the feed hose 6 leading to the coupling 6 on the casing.

. The exhaust connections comprise the pipe f leading from the couplinga lftrck to a coupling F which is connected by the pipe 7 with a secondcoupling H carrying a pressure gage H pling H with a three-way valve Jwhich in addition to the passage through the ipe 7 tained at 45 poundsor at whatever other pressure the relief valve is set, and the belloperates owing to the difference between the two pressures, the exhaustfrom the apparatus passing back through the pipe 7 and 'through thethree-way valve J to the back pressure valve K from which it exhausts insuch a manner as not to reduce the pressure in the casing-below thedesired point. When it is desired to stop the bell from signaling, thethree-way valve J is turned into such position as to connect the pipe jwith the exhaust system. Under these circumstances there will be noexhaust but the air entering through the valve D will divide and producecounterbalancing pressures in the reservoir a and the reservoir 6 sothat the apparatus will not work. The gages show the pressures on bothsides of the casing and hence serveas an indication that theapparatus isin operative or in inoperative condition and also if they show that thepressure is not being maintained itwill be understood that the casingsleak. We have shown this apparatus attached to a base L which is locatedatthe station at which is the air pump D and the feed hose 6'' and theexaust hose 7 may be connected together in one structure L Such astation may be on shore or on board a lightship from which the bell issuspended; In either case the connection of the station w'th the bellwill be by means of a hose of any necessary length. Such a bell forexample may be suspended from a buoy some distance off shore andconnected by hose with a convenient station on shore from which it isoperated.

, The apparatus has been found extremely useful because it affordsasimple way, viz :by simply turning the three-way valve, first ofoperating the bell to make it ring its peculiar signal, and second, ofmaintaining it when out of use in operative condition, 2'. e.,, from anywater which mi ht leak into it. The'gages at all times indicate its con-A pipe f connects the cou-' dition, one gage showing at 45 pounds, andthe other gage at 15pounds, when the apparatus isjoperating, and bothshowing at 45 pounds when the apparatus is not operating, and'anyunsteadiness' in the gage readings showing a leakage.

While the form of our system shown in pressed air reservoir.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, in combination; apressure system com risin an air um a com ressed'air, a

exhaust reservoir with said back pressure valve; an air motor connectedwith both said pressure and exhaust systems and adapted to beoperatedbythe difl'erence in pressure therein; and means for equalizing thepressures in said systems to render said motor inoperative and formaintaining, a

predetermined pressureon said motor, substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination; apressure system comprising an air pump, a compressed air reservoir, anda relief valve to control the pressure 'in said compressedair-reservoir; an exhaust system comprising'an exhaust reservoir, a backpressure valve, and means connecting said exhaust reservoir with saidback pressure valve; an air motor connected with both said pressure andexhaust'systems and adapted to be operated by the difference in pressuretherein; and means for equalizing the pressures in said systems torender said motorinoperative and for maintaining a predeterminedpressure on said motor, said means comprising. a pipe connecting saidpressure and. exhaust systems at points intermediate said relief valveand motor and said back pressure valve and motor, respectively, and acock to control the passage through said pipe, substantially as setforth.

I11 an apparatus of the character described, in combination; a pressuresystem comprising an air pump, a compressed air reservoir, meansconnecting said air pump and 531d. compressed air reservoir, and. a

relief valve to control the pressure in said compressed alr reservoir;an exhaust systemcomprising an exhaust reservoir, a back pressure valve,and means connecting said exhaust reservoir with said back pressurevalve; an air motor connected with both'said pressure and exhaustsystems and adapted to be operated by the difference in pressure saidair pump and compressed air reservoir,

substantially 'as set forth.-

4.'.In an apparatus of the character described, in combination; apressure system comprising an air pump, a submerged co m pressed airreservoir, means connecting said air pump and said compressed airreservoir, and a relief valve to control the pressure" 1n saidcompressed .air reservoir; an exhaust system comprising a submergedexhaust reservoir, a back pressure valve, and means connecting saidexhaust reservoir with said back pressure valve; a submerged air motorconnected with said compressed air and exhaust reservoirs respectively;and means for equalizing the pressures in said systems to render saidmotor inoperative and for maintaining a predetermined pressure vin bothsaid reservoirs, whereby 'the hydrostatic pressure on the submergedportions of said apparatus is opposed and leakage prevented,substantially as set forth.

EDWARD C. WOOD. HARRY G. MARDEN.

In presence of JOHN. E. R. HAYES, R. E. BREWER.

